Could the Grand Duke's role change?

(CS/mt) Changes to the country's constitution could see a limitation of the Grand Duke's role in the state, a civil service union chief has warned.

Chairman of the “Confédération Générale de la Fonction Publique” (CGFP) Emile Haag said that the Parliament, the State Council and the government should reach an agreement on the role of the Grand Duke. The CGFP President urged, however, that the head of state should not be sidelined on a legislative and executive level.

He fears that the reputation and the prestige of the Grand Duke could be damaged, especially abroad, with negative consequences for the country.

Instead, Haag put forward the question whether this important reform of the constitution should be put to public vote through a referendum, rather than being decided by the parliament alone.

The concerns were put forward by the CGFP president in a recent edition of the service's information paper. Haag also offered an insight into some of the issues that will be among the hot topics over the coming months.

These included the budget, the pension reform, the reform of the public service, wages of state officials and members of government, the school reform, and the reform of the constitution.